This invention relates to oral compositions useful to maintain healthy skin and more particularly, compositions containing a unique blend of antioxidants to decrease oxidative stress in a consumer thereby providing and maintaining healthy skin.
The solar ultraviolet light (UV) that reaches the earth's surface is divided into two components, UVB (280-320 nm) and UVA (320-380 nm). The UVB component, which is directly absorbed by cellular macromolecules including DNA and protein, may cause DNA photodamage and mutagenesis. In humans, both acute and chronic exposures to sunlight are associated with various physiological and pathological states. The acute response leads to immediate effects such as erythema, sunburn, pigmentation, hyperplasia, immunosuppression and vitamin D synthesis, and the chronic response leads to delayed effects such as cataract, skin ageing and cancer. Skin ageing is characterized clinically by coarseness, wrinkles, mottled pigmentation, sallowness, laxity, premalignant, and ultimately malignant neoplasms. Skin ageing commonly occurs in skin that is habitually exposed to sunlight, such as the face, ears, bald areas of the scalp, neck, forearms, and hands.
It is known that most of these effects are wavelength dependent and usually occur as a result of cumulative solar UV dose, thereby causing oxidative stress and inducement of apoptosis. In photodermatological studies, special attention has been given to sunburn keratinocytes. The sunburn cells were originally discovered in the epidermis of mammalian cells exposed to UVB radiation and later regarded as an example of apoptosis. Dysregulation of the apoptotic mechanism in skin can lead to erythema multiforme, lichen planus, papillomas and skin cancer.
Sunscreens are commonly used to prevent skin ageing, and the formation of apoptotic sunburn keratinocytes that are exposed to sunlight. Sunscreens are topical preparations that contain ingredients that absorb, reflect, and/or scatter UV light. Because such preparations are often visible or occlusive, and many people consider these formulations cosmetically unacceptable. While some sunscreens may be more acceptable cosmetically, they are still relatively short-lived and susceptible to being removed by washing or perspiration. Topical applications can be messy, leave skin surface residue, emit unpleasant odors and are not convenient to apply.
Generally, vitamins, tea extracts and gallic acid have been shown to possess strong anti-oxidative characteristics in both dietary supplements and topical applications. Although these antioxidants have been used widely in a variety of product forms, there are few studies on the oral intake of combinations of antioxidants for protection and maintenance of healthy skin.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a consumer friendly delivery vehicle which overcomes the deficiencies of topical therapies (over the counter (OTC) and prescription) for maintenance and protection of healthy skin.